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Champions On Ice Review



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The Champions On Ice Show came to the Colorado Springs World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado on July 23, 2006. The cast included Olympic Champions, World Champions, Silver and Bronze Olympic Medalists, comedians and entertainers on skates, and skating legends. It truly was the best skating show I have ever seen.

Each Champion Was First Introduced

Each champion was first introduced. As each skater entered the ice one by one, they thrilled the audience with huge jumps, spins, lifts, and other extradinary moves.

Rudy Galindo, Surya Bonaly, Johnny Weir, Evgeni Plushenko, Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, Evan Lysacek, Sasha Cohen, Michelle Kwan, Victor Petrenko, Shizuka Arakawa, Irina Slutskaya, and a few others entered the arena one by one.

It was thrilling to see so many famous skaters on one ice surface. The audience cheered and there was so much excitement in the arena.

First Up: Rudy Galindo, Surya Bonaly, Johnny Weir

The show started off with Rudy Galindo. As an amateur, Rudy had skated pairs with 1992 Olympic Champion, Kristi Yamuguchi. He jumps to the right. I remembered the way Kristi and Rudy did mirrored jump sequences as amateurs (since they jumped and rotated in opposite directions). I will never forget seeing them do triple toe loop jumps in that mirror-type style when they were young. Rudy is still able to do triple jumps and he left the audience wanting more.

Surya Bonaly, three-time World Silver Medalist is famous for being able to do a back flip on the ice. She performed that move with ease in the show.

Her skating was athletic and left the audience wanting more.

Three-time U.S. Champion Johnny Weir had entered the ice in a bright yellow outfit during the Champion Introductions. He changed clothes into a sparking black outfit for his performance. Skating to Frank Sinatra's "My Way" he did a beautiful and smooth program that spoke to the people in the arena. He is a very elegant and original skater; the musical piece he selected suited his innovative style.

Outstanding Ice Dancers and Pair Skaters Performed

Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto did not disappoint the crowd. They skated with great unison and did intricate lifts and spins. Ben showed Tanith's beauty off.

One of the most interesting performances was done by 2002 Olympic Ice Dance Champions Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat to a Star Wars theme. They entered the ice dressed in full "Jedi" attire and "fought" each other with different colored lightsabers. Eventually, they became "Jedi Knight and Queen" and performed a stunning and intricate performance.

The 2006 Olympic Pair Champions, Tatiana Totmyanina and Maxim Marinin, did not diaappoint the audience. They skated to "Music of the Night" from The Phantom of the Opera. Like all top Russian pair skaters, they performed every lift, every movement in perfect sequence. They made dangerous moves look safe and easy.

The Top Single Skaters Dazzled the Audience

World Bronze Medalist, Evan Lysacek, skated with energy. He did triple jumps and fast spins.

Stephane Lambiel, 2005 and 2006 World Champion and 2006 Olympic Silver Medalist did a spin that seemed to last forever. He never lost speed and kept changing positions and feet as he did spinning that lasted and lasted.

The audience was treated to two Russian skating greats: 1992 Victor Petrenko and 2006 Olympic Champion Evgeni Plushenko. Victor Petrenko's jumps were clean and smooth and Evgeni Plushenko not only did triple after triple, but did extremely fast and intricate footwork in all directions.

The women skaters were exceptional. Sasha Cohen showed her grace, beauty, and talent as she skated to "God Bless America." She is able to stretch her body into beautiful positions. Of course, she did many beautiful spirals where her free leg seemed to reach the ceiling.

Irina Slutskaya did a very entertaining and athletic program to "Hey, Big Spender."

Figure Skating legend, Michelle Kwan, was the last performance before the final closing number. The audience cheered when she stepped on the ice. She skated with beauty and poise, but was unable to perform athletic moves due to injury.


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